STAFF

Lisa Thompson, Owner and Executive Director, established Step By Step in 1985 with the mission to educate and train dancers to appreciate dance as an art form and to develop high self-esteem, discipline and self-confidence that can be carried to other activities and professional settings. Lisa obtained her Bachelor Degree in Science and in Dance, and her Master of Science in Counseling and Student Personnel Administration from Kansas State University.
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She is a native of Kansas City, Kansas and began dancing under the instruction of Ms. Irene at the Academy of Performing Arts. She is a former professional dancer for the Kansas City Chiefs (NFL) and a former cheerleader for the Kansas City Kings, now known as Sacramento Kings (NBA). She later became the Director of Kansas State University’s premier collegiate dance teams, the Pridettes and the Wildcat Dancers.
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Outside of the studio, Lisa serves as the Senior Director of the TRiO Pre-College Programs at UT Arlington. She supervises the Upward Bound, Veterans Upward Bound, Educational Talent Search and Upward Bound Math and Science programs. She has over 36 years of experience in academic and student affairs.
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Lisa is involved with the Texas Association of TRiO Programs, Southwest Association of Student Assistance Programs (SWASAP), and the Association of Veterans Upward Bound Programs (NAVUB).  Lisa has provided consulting and etiquette training for a variety of organizations in the DFW area and has choreographed numerous Debutante, Coming of Age, Beautillions and Cotillions. Lisa is a charter member and active, associate lifetime member of the Arlington Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. She is also a life member and former chapter president of the Xi Theta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Most recently, she was recognized as the 2018 Community Connections Award Recipient from the Arlington Foundation for Excellence in Education, the 2019 Hidden Treasure Award Recipient from the Texas National Women of Achievement Inc., the Lifetime Achievement Award for 28 years of service with UT Arlington and the Distinguished Eagle Award from the National Association for Veterans Upward Bound. Her volunteer, mentorship an civic service stretches across the Dallas Fort Worth area in organizations such as United Way, Arlington Martin Luther Day Jr. Celebration Committee, Inc. (president), Arlington YMCA (board member) and many of UT Arlington’s student associations (mentor/advisor) to name a few.
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She has one daughter, Erica Thompson, and four fur babies: Ivy & Sage, whom she rescued and Tawnie & Coco, which was passed down from her mother.

Vincent has been a tap instructor at Step By Step Dance studio. Prior to instructing, he was a student studying from the age of 10 years old. Vincent is an expert tapper and has performed at many community events including the Juneteenth celebration in Fort Worth in 2018. Vincent enjoys learning new tap choreography and often studies under various leadership and conferences.Most recently, he attended the DC Tap Fest hosted by world famous tappers Chloe and Maud Arnold. Vincent has one daughter, Cherish, who is following in his footsteps as a tap dancer at Step By Step. 

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Carolyn Thompson graduated from UT Arlington with a Bachelor of Science in Social Work. She has danced competitively for over 10 years. In high school, Carolyn served as captain of the drill team. She was also a member and assistant coach of the UT Arlington Dance Team. Currently, she is a verteran member of the Texas Legends Dance Team. She specializes in teaching jazz, performance/competition master classes and hip hop.

Erica is the Assistant Director of Step By Step Dance Studio. She is extensively trained in Ballet and has expanded her technique and knowledge to include jazz and contemporary. Erica is a graduate of UT Arlington where she received her Bachelor Degree in Psychology/English Minor. She then continued on to receive her Juris Doctorate from Thurgood Marshall School of Law. Erica competed in both local and national dance competitions, was a member of UT Arlington’s Dance Ensemble and UT Arlington’s Maverick Dance Team, and performed in numerous productions such as The Nutcracker, Swan Lake and Debbie Allen’s Pepito’s Story. Currently, Erica works with SBS Elite and Praise Teams, providing them opportunities to develop as dancers through conventions, competitions and community outreach. She also manages the “Step By Step at the Arlington-Mansfield Area YMCA” Dance Program. She is very active in her community as she volunteers with the United Way Tarrant County Steering Committee, Texas Young Lawyers Association, YMCA, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Erica works for ACARI Management Group, where she is the MWBE Coordinator for Dallas ISD Construction related projects. She proudly follows in her mother’s legacy of dance, service and mentorship. Erica has two fur children, Ivy and Sage.

Khirstian has been dancing at Step By Step since she was three years old. She danced on her high school drill team, Starline, for all four years and served as 1st Lieutenant her senior year. She was also a two year member of the UTA Dance Team. Khirstian graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with her bachelor degree in Communication. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. In her spare time, she loves to mentor youth, go out to eat and nap! 

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Andraya Miller has been dancing for over 10 years. She was born and raised in the DFW Metroplex, and is currently a student at UT Arlington. During high school, she was a member of her school's drill team and she is currently a proud member of the UT Arlington Mavericks Dance Team. Andraya is currently pursuing a career in Elementary Education with aspirations of becoming a teacher. We are so excited to have her with us at SBS - she is currently teaching Contemporary and also assists with our youth technique and strengthening classes.

Jocelyn is the Office Manager and Facilities Operator at Step By Step Dance Studio. She has been a part of the the SBSDS for over 30 years. She began as a student in 1986, became an instructor at the age of 17, and in 2006 began working as the Office Manager. As of the original members of the Psalm Sacred Dancers, Jocelyn has had the opportunity to share her love of dance in places such as Kansas, Oklahoma, Ohio, Arizona, and most notably, Zimbabwe, Africa. As a student at Nolan Catholic High School, Jocelyn studied dance under Ms. Elan Schwericke and was a member of the Royelles Dance Team. In 2018 Jocelyn graduated from UT Arlington with her bachelor's degree in Public Relations. She currently works at Texas Christian University for an extended recess program that bridges the gap between academics and the social, emotional, and healthy well-being of children. She has two daughters, Ashlyn and Addison who are both students at Step By Step. 

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